Space Planning Lead
Fixed Term Contract
£80k / initially 6 months - Strong likelihood of extension / Perm
London 3 days a week
ASAP start
Altum Consulting are supporting a client in the Education sector to find a Space planning Lead for their exciting estates transformation. You will play a central role in supporting the strategic planning and design of the organisation's physical estate as it undergoes significant transformation to enable operational effectiveness and future growth.
Role Overview
We are looking for an experienced space planning professional who can operate in a federated environment, working and engaging multiple stakeholder groups, bringing structure and clarity to key design and planning decisions. You will provide specialist expertise across space planning and utilisation analysis, helping inform design-related activities. Alongside technical and analytical responsibilities, the role plays an important part in shaping how space is understood and discussed, fostering constructive engagement, shared understanding, and new ways of working across diverse stakeholder groups.
Key Responsibilities
Working with the Director of Space Planning, you will support them to
Maintain a comprehensive view of space capacity, constraints and opportunities.
Provide clear, evidence‑based advice on spatial implications of growth and investment.
Strengthen transparency and discipline in space allocation and decision‑making through the maintenance of accurate and reliable spatial information and supporting materials
Provide analytical and advisory input on space utilisation, allocation, and capacity considerations
Develop clear spatial insights to support planning, change, and investment discussions
Set and test model assumptions; manage consultation and governance for approval.
Run scenario planning to inform estate planning, decant strategies and capacity decisions.
Prepare concise, high‑quality papers for governance groups.
Build strong partnerships to support coherent and sustainable estate planning across the organisation
Ensure engagement and systematic input from operational service teams into spatial and design development.
Experience & Background
We are looking for individuals who can demonstrate:
Strong experience in space planning, spatial design in workplace/estates strategy
Experience working with design frameworks and external designers to shape estate plans with senior leaders.
Experience working with and engaging operational service areas to ensure spatial plans and design proposals are practical and deliverable.
Strong technical understanding of space planning, utilisation and modelling.
Clear design literacy and ability to set and evaluate design standards.
Excellent written and verbal communication: able to produce concise, persuasive papers and engage stakeholders through relationship building
Confident facilitator with strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
Proven ability to integrate operational considerations into spatial and design thinking.
Innovative, analytical and future‑focused.
Politically astute, collaborative and effective across professional communities.